Considering Privacy in the Smart Glasses Era

Today smart glasses look like everyday glasses but with cameras, microphones, and AI built into frames. This makes it increasing difficult to tell them apart from regular glasses. So, how do we protect privacy when you can be recorded at anytime?

Pulling out and holding up your smartphone to record is highly visible. Smart glasses, however allow for effortless and sometimes secret recordings. A tap on side of the glasses or a quiet voice command is all it takes to capture video without anyone nearby knowing. This raises concerns about privacy and consent, particularly in areas like locker rooms, bathrooms, law offices, clinics or other private areas. The addition of real-time facial recognition only adds to these concerns. The possibility finding out the name and social media information about a stranger just by looking at them should be concerning for everyone.

Smart glasses manufacturers are attempting to address these issues. The most common solution is a LED recording light on the glasses frame that illuminate whenever the camera is recording. Privacy advocates argue this is insufficient. In daylight or from a distance a tiny LED light will be difficult to spot. Additionally, these lights can easily be obscure with tape, a sharpie or hardware modifications to bypass this safety feature altogether.

It’s definitely a privacy concern, when the person across from you can easily record and collection information about you without your consent. As smart glasses gain popularity, the path forward will likely require new legal frameworks restricting non-consensual recording and data collection.